Channel Assist

What Channel Assist does

Channel Assist is a UK-headquartered, employee-owned field sales and marketing agency providing end-to-end in-store execution services to consumer electronics brands, travel retail operators, and DIY retailers across the UK and Europe. Founded in 2006 by Victoria Lipscombe and headquartered in Tring with offices in London and Lisbon, the company operates a 2500+ strong field team across 17 countries reaching more than 4000 retail sites. Its core services include field marketing and field sales, merchandising compliance, brand ambassadors and promotional teams, display installation and maintenance, travel retail operations, learning platforms and rewards, and sales and experiential events. Services are typically delivered through enterprise field sales and strategic partnership models where funded teams embed into client operations under multi-year contracts.

The company's technology stack centres on digital platforms for field operations management rather than standalone software products. Key components include a 24/7 Real-Time Reporting Portal with live dashboards and KPI tracking by brand, display, and store; QR Code Asset Tracking portals for merchandising compliance; an integrated Learning Management System using Articulate, SCORM-compliant content, and gamification tools (Kahoot, quizzes); and video content creation capabilities built on Premiere Pro, Canva, and Articulate. The proprietary "Video-enabled Virtual Assistants" feature integrates into retail displays or websites to drive shopper engagement. These tools are positioned as supporting infrastructure for the agency's professional services rather than as standalone SaaS products.

Channel Assist generates revenue through project-based professional services contracts with custom pricing, typically structured as multi-year engagements with enterprise brand clients. The company is privately held with no external investment and operates under an Employee Ownership Trust established in 2015 and formalised under current leadership. Major customers include Bose (10+ year top European partner), Google Chromebook, Meta, Robert Bosch, TUI, InMotion, ASUS, Marshall, McAfee, Garmin, and Nothing, alongside retailer partners Currys, B&Q, John Lewis, and Argos. The company holds POPAI, SafeContractor, and Sustain accreditations and maintains Airside Pass Scheme approval for UK airport access.

Name

Channel Assist

Legal name

Channel Assist LTD

Website

https://channelassist.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Channel Assist is an employee-owned UK field sales and marketing agency delivering in-store execution, display installation, merchandising compliance, and travel retail services to enterprise consumer electronics brands and retailers across 17 European countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tring

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Field Marketing Services: Outsourced field marketing and field sales teams providing in-store sales support, retail training, brand representation, sales activation across UK and Europe. Teams integrate with client operations as extensions of their business.
2. Display Installation and Maintenance: End-to-end display installation projects ranging from POS, vinyl detailing, fixtures, shop-in-shops to full shop fits, plus ongoing maintenance services ensuring optimal compliance rates.
3. Brand Ambassador and Promotional Teams: Recruitment, training and management of brand ambassadors and promotional teams for campaigns, experiential events, and retail activations.
4. Learning Platforms and Rewards: Microlearning and digital content creation services including curriculum-based brand platforms, certified learning, gamification, and rewards programmes.
5. Sales and Experiential Events: End-to-end event management from concept and design through to delivery, staffing and data capture for experiential events, pop-up shops, and retail roadshows.
6. Merchandising Compliance: Nationwide merchandising compliance services ensuring brand presence across all UK and Ireland retail stores with skilled merchandisers and real-time reporting.
7. Travel Retail Services: Specialised services for airport environments including airside display installation, brand promoters with airside accreditation, and travel retail field sales support.
8. Digital Content and Promotion: Virtual assistant integration, video-enabled solutions, and digital content creation to support retail displays and online customer journeys.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Channel Assist is a full-service field sales and marketing agency that provides outsourced field sales teams, merchandising compliance, brand ambassador and promotional teams, display installation and maintenance, learning platforms with microlearning, sales and experiential events, and airside-accredited travel retail services. Services can be used individually or combined as part of integrated marketing strategies. The company also offers supporting digital tools including a real-time reporting portal, QR code asset tracking, and video-enabled virtual assistants for retail environments.

Product overview

Channel Assist is a full-service sales and marketing agency offering an integrated portfolio of field marketing and sales services. The core offering consists of Field Marketing and Field Sales teams, Merchandising Compliance, Brand Ambassadors and Promotional Teams, Sales and Experotional Events, Display Installation and Maintenance, Travel Retail, and Learning Platforms and Rewards. Supporting these services are digital enablers including Digital Content and Promotion (video-enabled virtual assistants), QR Code Asset Tracking, and a Real-Time Reporting Portal. Additional offerings include a Branded Merchandise Catalogue. The services can be used individually or combined as part of a larger integrated marketing strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Field Marketing and Field Sales Outsourced field sales and marketing services providing embedded teams that help brands connect with customers, grow sales, and prove ROI across UK and European retail environments.
• Merchandising Compliance Nationwide merchandising services ensuring brand displays are properly installed, products are visible and priced accurately, and in-store presence is optimised across retail stores.
• Brand Ambassadors and Promotional Teams Recruitment, training and deployment of brand ambassadors and promotional teams that create meaningful customer experiences through face-to-face interactions and product demonstrations.
• Sales and Experiential Events End-to-end event management including pop-up shops, brand activations, retail roadshows, and experiential marketing campaigns with data capture capabilities.
• Display Installation and Maintenance Retail display installation, compliance maintenance, and shopfitting services achieving over 95% compliance rates, including logistics, warehousing and inventory management.
• Travel Retail Services Airport and travel retail services including airside-accredited display installation, brand promoters, field sales teams and merchandising with access to all UK airports.
• Learning Platforms and Rewards Microlearning and gamification-based training solutions using tools like Articulate and Kahoot, designed to build brand advocates among retail staff through bite-sized content and interactive quizzes.
• Digital Content and Promotion Video-enabled virtual assistants and digital content solutions that integrate into retail displays or websites to provide live demonstrations and product information, driving shopper engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 168% average footfall increase during TUI 6-week experiential campaign
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and flagship.

• Institute of Performance and GrowthsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2026Channel Assist becomes corporate partner of the Institute of Performance and Growth, supporting professional development and performance excellence in the industry.
• InVuecoreTechnology or Integration · 20 May 2026Channel Assist expands retail technology partnerships with InVue, enhancing retail display and security solutions for brand partners across retail environments.
• KEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Channel Assist partners with KEF to deliver premium in-store audio experiences, combining KEF's audio technology with Channel Assist's retail execution capabilities.
• techBAR (Selfridges)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship partnership to design and deliver bespoke customer experience tables for Selfridges Oxford Street Technology Hall, with Nothing products launching successfully.
• Studio CO2coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative agency partner for Meta Quest window displays and installation campaigns, working together on high-impact retail activations.
• CurryscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor UK retailer partner for display installations across 155+ stores, supporting Bose and other consumer electronics brands.
• John LewiscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFlagship retail partner for premium in-store displays and brand activations including Meta Quest window displays and Nothing installations.
• B&QcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor DIY retailer partner for Bosch and other brand installations across 295 stores nationwide.
• ArgoscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK retailer partner for Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition single-day installation across 50 stores.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CPM International: Global field marketing and brand activation network with a strong European presence, providing outsourced sales, merchandising, and retail execution services. Comparable to Channel Assist but with broader global scale.
• Smollan: Global retail solutions group with field marketing, merchandising, and brand activation capabilities across multiple continents. Comparable to Channel Assist's broader services but operates at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
• MKTG: Global lifestyle and experiential marketing agency (part of Dentsu) with strong consumer-electronics client roster and in-store activation expertise. Comparable to Channel Assist's brand ambassador and experiential event offering within a broader holding-company network.
• Acosta: North-American-headquartered sales and marketing agency serving consumer goods and electronics brands with retail services, merchandising, and experiential marketing. Overlaps significantly with Channel Assist's core offering at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Gekko Field Marketing: UK-based full-service field marketing agency operating across retail, experiential, and merchandising, with strong consumer-electronics brand clients. Directly comparable to Channel Assist in service mix, customer vertical, and pan-European execution model.
• The Marketing Store: Global brand experience and shopper marketing agency with deep retail and consumer-electronics expertise, including experiential, field marketing, and loyalty. Highly comparable to Channel Assist's experiential and brand activation work.
• Sparks (Project Worldwide): Global experiential and brand activation agency that designs and delivers retail experiences, pop-ups, and live brand engagement programmes. Comparable to Channel Assist's experiential events and in-store activation services.
• Instar: UK-based retail activation and merchandising agency providing field marketing, retail display installation, and brand ambassador programmes to FMCG and consumer-electronics clients. Closely comparable to Channel Assist in service portfolio and enterprise brand focus.
• RELiSH Field Marketing: UK field marketing agency specialising in retail merchandising, brand activation, and mystery shopping. Overlaps directly with Channel Assist's merchandising compliance and brand ambassador services.

Regional players

• Connected International: International event and retail marketing agency operating across multiple European markets, focused on brand activations and in-store experiences. Comparable to Channel Assist's experiential events and pan-European rollouts but with different geographic centre of gravity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/channel-assist-limited
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChannelAssist

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Channel Assist